Carpe Diem Haiku Kai is the place to be if you like to write and share Japanese poetry forms like haiku and tanka. It’s a warmhearted family of haiku poets created by Chèvrefeuille, a Dutch haiku poet. Japanese poetry is the poetry of nature and it gives an impression of a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water. ++ ALL WORKS PUBLISHED ARE COPYRIGHTED AND THE RIGHTS BELONG TO THE AUTHORS ++ !!! Anonymous comments will be seen as SPAM !!!

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Welcome at the dawn of our new Carpe Diem month March. This month all our prompts are classical Japanese kigo (seasonwords) of Spring. Seasonwords are specific words which are referring to a season. It's one of the basic rules that in every haiku a seasonword is used. So maybe we go this month back to basic, or not of course (smiles).
As you maybe know I am not a fan of the counted verse with 3-5-3 or 5-7-5 syllables. I write my haiku in the so called Kanshicho-style. In this style (initiated by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), the most well known haiku master) the syllables-count isn't that strict. In this style Basho used during 1683-1685 he was longing for renewal of haiku and longing for the Chinese way of poetry writing. So, as Basho once said, "learn the rules and forget them immediately", and that's what I do. Haiku writing (or composing) comes right from the heart and it's not bound to rules. Enjoy composing haiku.

For starters a haiku written by Matsuo Basho:

haru no yo ya komoribito yukashi do no sumione evening in springin a corner of the Halla mysterious suppliant(c) Basho

R.H.Blyth, the author of a four volume series about haiku says about this haiku:

[...] This haiku was composed at Hase, in Yamato, what is now Nara Prefecture, at the temple known as Hasedera, or Kwan-nondo, or Chokokuji. In the Genji Monogatari and the Tsure-zuregusa we find frequent references to pilgrimages to this temple, especially by women to the Kwannon enshrined there.
One night Basho went to the temple to worship, and looking round saw in one corner of the great hall a man or woman kneeling there in supplication before the image of Kwannon. A few candles burning here and there, the hall is full of shadows. Outside, the cherry blossoms are falling through the darkness; here in the dusk, the silent, motionless form of the suppliant [...] (Source: Haiku Vol. 2 Spring, page 397 - R.H.Blyth)

What do we have more in this new Carpe Diem month? For our Carpe Diem Specials I have chosen haiku written by Onitsura (1660-1738), a haiku master and contemporary of Basho, who wrote wonderful haiku. For example this one on 'The Great Morning' (the morning of New Year's Day):

oashita mukashi fukinishi matsu no kazeThe Great Morning:winds of long agoblow through the pine-trees(c) Onitsura

Onitsura (1660-1738)

Onitsura was a contemporary of Basho and maybe the knew each other. I think they knew each other and Onitsura was a 'follower' of Basho's way of writing and composing haiku. In the haiku I gave here-for one can read, feel and see the simpleness and timelessness which is clearly a Buddhistic way of looking to the world. (Zen)Buddhism is also one of the pillars of haiku. In very haiku you can see that and hidden deep inside every haiku you will find in some way (Zen)Buddhism.

OK ... today is our 'kick-off' of our sixth Carpe Diem month. And this month all our prompts are classical Japanese kigo. Today we share haiku on a kigo of early Spring, Risshun (which means: coming of Spring).
An example of a kidai (a headword followed by specific kigo) for the season of spring is risshun (beginning of spring). Kigo under this headword are haru tatsu (spring begins) and haru kuru (spring comes).

For example a haiku written by Shoha (* - 1771) in which he used haru tatsu (Spring begins):

The stork, as a symbol of longevity, is closely associated with the New Year (in Japanese tradition the start of Spring), and as it quietly lifts up one foot and quietly places it down again, it is in harmony with our feeling of tranquility and new born nobility. Do you feel the Zen in this one?

It took me a while to write a haiku on this kigo, because I loved to touch that Zen with it ... after a while I came up with this new haiku:

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

On the last day of February I love to share another wonderful haiku by Chiyo-Ni, our haiku master for this month. Chiyo-Ni, a female haiku master and a nun, wrote wonderful haiku as we have seen during this February Carpe Diem month. Today this is the haiku written by Chiyo-Ni for your inspiration:

In mid-flightthe butterfly returnsto the pines of Shiogoshi Shrine

(* I couldn't find the Romaji translation of this haiku)

In this haiku Chiyo-Ni describes a butterfly returning to home, the Shiogoshi Shrine, is she talking about herself? Maybe she does ... Shiogoshi Shrine was a Buddhist Shrine ... so maybe she went back to that shrine. By the way I couldn't find anything on Shiogoshi Shrine, but when I was preparing this episode of Carpe Diem a fragment of Basho's 'Narrow Road to the Deep North' or 'Oku No Hosomichi' came in mind. In that fragment Basho tells us about the pine trees of Shiogoshi.

[...] I stopped overnight at the Zenshoji Temple near the castle of Daishoji, still in the province of Kaga. Sora, too, had stayed here the night before and left behind the following poem:

All night longI listened to the autumn windHowling on the hillAt the back of the temple.

Sora and I were separated by the distance of a single night, but it was just the same as being separated by a thousand miles. I, too, went to bed amidst the howling of the autumn wind and woke up early the next morning amid the chanting of the priests, which was soon followed by the noise of the gong calling us to breakfast. As I was anxious to cross over to the province of Echizen in the course of the day, I left the temple without lingering, but when I reached the foot of the long approach to the temple, a young priest came running down the steps with a brush and ink and asked me to leave a poem behind. As I happened to notice some leaves of willow scattered in the garden, I wrote impromptu,

I hope to have gatheredTo repay your kindnessThe willow leavesScattered in the garden.

and left the temple without even taking time to refasten my straw sandals.

Hiring a boat at the port of Yoshizaki on the border of the province of Echizen, I went to see the famous pine of Shiogoshi . (There is a deep bay here where the priest Rengyo in 1471 built a residence at Yoshizaki. It is a sacred site for the Shinshu sect. On a promontory called Shiogoshi opposite Yoshizaki there is a cluster of pine trees greatly prized for their shapely limbs. Yoshitsune also passed this way on his way to Hiraizumi.)

The entire beauty of this place, I thought, was best expressed in the following poem by Saigyo.

Inviting the wind to carrySalt waves of the sea,The pine tree of ShiogoshiTrickles all night longShiny drops of moonlight.

Should anyone ever dare to write another poem on this pine tree it would be like trying to add a sixth finger to his hand. [...] (Source: Shiogoshi Pines)

It's really a wonderful haibun 'Oku no Hosomichi' and I love to read it again and again. OK ... enough about the Pines of Shiogoshi ... let's go back to Chiyo-Ni's haiku:

In mid-flightthe butterfly returnsto the pines of Shiogoshi Shrine

To write a new haiku in the same tone and Spirit as this one by Chiyo-Ni will not be easy, but of course I have to try ...

sweet scent of pineson the ancestor shrine -Father's Day

Hm ... what do you think?

This prompt will stay on 'till March 1st 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our first Carpe Diem episode of March, Risshun (coming of Spring), around 10.00 PM (CET). By the way in our Carpe Diem month March are all the prompts classical Japanese kigo or seasonwords for Spring.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

This wonderful Carpe Diem month is almost over, with today we have still two days to go and than March will start. I have already prepared our new prompt list which you can find HERE all our prompts are classical kigo (seasonswords) for Spring. So I think this next month will be tough, but also very nice and I hope to read wonderful haiku.
OK back to today, February 27th, we share haiku on 'Strangers', (provided by Patricia of High Five and Raspberries ). Not an easy prompt I think, but ... well it's challenging.
As I am preparing this episode a song 'Strangers in the Night' sang by Frank Sinatra comes in mind. So I love to share that song here:

I love that song very much ... it brings wonderful memories to me. My granddad was a big fan of Frank Sinatra and through him I became a fan of Sinatra's music. Really nice memories.

strangers in the nightwalking along the harborwithout a soundwithout a soundthe neighbor turns his back to meand walks away

Sometimes you have to deal with bad relations, but with patience and unconditional love you will become the vanquisher and that will bring back joy. Than you can say 'no longer a stranger in the night'.

shaking handstears spilled on shouldersno longer strangers

Well ... have fun, be creative and share your haiku on 'strangers' with us here on Carpe Diem.
This prompt will stay on 'till February 28th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our last Carpe Diem Special by Chiyo-Ni later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).

Monday, February 25, 2013

Another day will soon be coming, as I prepare this episode I am in the Nightshift and I have found a little bit of time to work at my weblog. I have read wonderful haiku last days on 'full snow moon', 'castle', 'forsythia' and a lot more. I have tried to visit you all, but I haven't commented every where, not because I don't want to, but by lack of time.

Today we share haiku on 'Caterpillar', a lovely and mysterious creature. And in a lot of shapes and colors. Look for example to this 'Wattle Cup Caterpillar':

Isn't it a wonderful Caterpillar? Looks like a Chinese Dragon and that inspired me to write the next haiku:

dancing dragonin a tiny insects world Wattle Cup

Hm ... nice ...

Of course I can't go pass the metamorphosis of the Caterpillar, through cocoon to butterfly. It's such a magical and mysterious manner of Mother Nature ... I am always in awe as I see how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly ... really it's a wonder.

To write a haiku on Metamorphosis that's a real challenge to me ... so here I go ... a first try:

beneath a green leafher cocoon is cracking opena young butterfly

Another one ... on metamorphosis:

Pygmalion's lessonevery man and woman has to belike a caterpillarlike a caterpillargrowing to the next level become a butterfly

Well ... I hope you enjoyed the read and I hope that this read will inspire you to create your own haiku on 'Caterpillar' and maybe on metamorphosis. Share your haiku with our community here on Carpe Diem.

This prompt will stay on 'till February 27th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode, 'Strangers' (provided by Patricia of High Five and Raspberries), later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Today it'is Full Moon, this full moon is called 'Full Snow Moon', because February is the month in which we have a lot of snow. Off course only in the Northern Hemisphere of our Earth.

Snow moon
or Full Snow moon is a traditional name for the full moon that occurs in
February in North America. Usually this month is a time for snow and cold air
temperatures, and this is the reason for the name snow moon. Storm moon, hunger
moon, Little Famine moon, and Full Bony moon are other traditional names for
this particular full moon.

In Vedic Astrology the Moon is very important at the precise date and time of your birth.

The sign
occupied by the Moon at your time of birth is an indicator of your emotional
and physical nature. It describes your unconscious, instinctive reactions, what
is innate. Moon signs define our emotions and make up the unconscious side of
our personality. This is the place where we go to find comfort, peace and
childhood memories. These signs also have an effect on our senses, such as
sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch. They are all connected to our
subconscious memories and affect us differently than the Sun's Zodiac signs, by
showing us what kind of experience we need in order to feel emotionally
satisfied.

Moon Signs play an important role in understanding an individual. The position
of the moon in your birth chart helps in finding your moon sign. Your moon sign
can help in understanding the characteristics and features when born under a
particular moon sign, which is different from the sun signs in western
astrology.

I was born on April 20th 1963 at 8.30 PM (CET) and according to Vedic Astrology this is what it means to me:

Pisces is
one of the water signs, signs of the tides of life and the emotions. With the
Moon in this sign, your primary need is to feel “at one”, to transcend mundane
reality and lose yourself in something mystical, way beyond the personal Self.
You are attuned to a subtler dimension of life, sensitive, impressionable,
picking up on feelings and atmosphere the way a sponge absorbs water. You need
to find something to which you can whole heartedly devote yourself without the
danger of being abused or losing your own sense of self completely. Treat
alcohol and drugs, television and virtual reality with caution. .. they may
offer an easily available route to the “transcendent”, otherworldly state you
need, but they drain you and dull what is your most valuable asset – your
imagination and your psychic sensitivity. Many poets, musicians, film makers
and actors have a Piscean Moon - it opens a channel through which creative
inspiration can flow from the highest level, so too do mystics and spiritual
gurus.

Extremely
emotional, your feelings will be the dominating factor within your experience,
so that you cry and laugh often, easily and in quick succession. The confusion
caused by those turbulent, ever changing waves can be cleared if you form a
positive relationship with the real element of water. Living on or nearby water
is perfect, but trips to the seaside, going fishing or strolling along the
riverbank will serve just as well. If all else fails a deep warm bath with
beautiful s scented oils, soft music and candlelight will help you reconnect to
still waters within! But the purest stream is to be found in the silence of
deep meditation, or in surrendering to the flow of the Tao in for example, Tai
Chi; align yourself with that flow and who knows what inspiration will come! (Source: www.astrocal.co.uk/ )

Isn't it wonderful? As I read this it's almost the full truth about me ... very spooky ... (smiles)

I found a wonderful haiku by Chiyo-Ni about a Full Moon, I don't think it's about the Full Snow Moon, but it's a wonderful haiku. This haiku is known as her so called 'death poem'. Every haiku poet wrote a death poem, mostly the last haiku they wrote became the death poem. (Maybe I will write a lecture about death poems ... )

I also saw
the moon
and so I say goodbye
to this world

Chiyo-ni

Well ... enough about the Full Snow Moon ... let's do some haiku composing myself ...

fresh fallen snowcreaks beneath my feet -full snow moon walk

full snow moon walkthrough my neighborhoodwhile snow is falling

that nightI will never forgetfull snow moon walk

Awesome ... I like these haiku ... gives me a feeling of winter and cosiness. I am looking forward to your haiku on Full Snow Moon. Have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with our community.

This prompt will stay on 'till February 26th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post 'caterpillar', our new episode of Carpe Diem, later on today.

By the way: I am hopelessly behind with commenting on your posts ... I hope to catch up soon.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

I am so glad to see how all your haiku are becoming stronger and more beautiful ... really it is a joy to read your posts every day. I hope that you will continuing to share your haiku with Carpe Diem. It is my joy to be your host for this daily haiku meme.
Sometimes a prompt brings memories up to other haiku I have written. And so does our prompt for today 'Forsythia'. I remember that I have used Forsythia in my post on Early Blossom (prompt 109):

through
the open window
riding along with the cold winter wind
the scent of ForsythiaForsythia is for sure an early blossoming bush, here in my country the Forsythia is starting to become yellowish and greenish. So ... I think Spring is heading ...

announcer of Springin soft yellowish and greenish colorsForsythia bloomingIsn't it wonderful ... after the cold winter ... the warm Spring colors bringing new life to the world.This prompt will stay on 'till February 25th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode of Carpe Diem later on today. That will be 'full Snow Moon', it's about the Full Moon of February. So have fun with this prompt and share your haiku with us all.Namaste

Friday, February 22, 2013

Today we share haiku on 'Castle'. I think I will see very different haiku for this prompt, because there are so much different meanings for Castle. The first thing that came in mind when I was preparing this episode was a quote "my home is my castle" and I thought of Castle, the TV-series. So I am looking forward to your posts.

I am richmy home is my castlethe world my gardenhidden in the mountainsthe ivory tower of an anchoreta cave

Not a strong set, but I liked writing them. This prompt will stay on 'till February 24th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode, Forsythia, later on today around 10.00 PM (CET)

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Today another Carpe Diem Special a haiku written by our haiku master for this month Chiyo-Ni. The goal of this specials is write a new haiku inspired on the one given of Chiyo-Ni and to try to touch her sense and Spirit. think we can learn from the classic haiku masters. For example: How they use their words, how they look at their environment and nature ... just to see in a different way.

Our Chiyo-Ni haiku for this Special is:

koborete wa tada no mizunari beni no tsuyu

the dew of the rouge flowerwhen it is spilledis simply water

It's a wonderful haiku written by her. Blyth (author of a four volume series on haiku) says: [...] The reddish-yellow flower is cup-shaped and holds rain or dew in the same way as the Camellia. There is great 'virtue' in the expression tada no. If we translate it 'only' water, we get the feeling of disillusionment without the insight into the nature of things, into what Carlyle calls "the great Fact of excistence". [...]

Rouge Flower (?) I don't know if this is the flower which is meant in this haiku by Chiyo-Ni.

Virginia Creeperit's cupped blossom filledwith early Spring dew

spilled in the breezethe Spring morning's water -Virginia Creeper bows

cup-shaped flowerreleases her Spring rain waterin the puddle

Well I think that you, my dear friends, can write a nice new haiku on this one. So I am looking forward to your posts. This prompt will stay on 'till February 23th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode of Carpe Diem later on today around 10.00 PM (CET). That new prompt will be 'Castle'.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Another day in our Carpe Diem daily haiku paradise. I have read wonderful haiku on the last two prompts. Today, just like the two last posts, we share haiku on 'courage' a third virtues. Last week we had prompts with the seven sins, and the last two days and today are prompts on the seven virtues. So 'wisdom' and 'hope' were virtues and 'courage' also is a virtue.

Courage is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Physical courage is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement.

In some traditions, fortitude holds approximately the same meaning as courage. In the Western tradition, notable thoughts on courage have come from philosophers such as Aristotle, Aquinas and Kierkegaard; in the Eastern tradition, some thoughts on courage were offered by the Tao Te Ching. More recently, courage has been explored by the discipline of psychology.

Its accompanying animal is the lion. Often, Fortitude is depicted as having tamed the ferocious lion. Cf. e.g. the Tarot trump called Strength. It is sometimes seen in the Catholic Church as a depiction of Christ's triumph over sin (see Revelation 5:5).

The Chinese symbol for Courage

Well I think it's a wonderful prompt and I hope that you, my dear haijin, visitors and travelers will be inspired to write wonderful haiku on 'courage'. This prompt will stay on 'till February 22th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode of Carpe Diem, another Special haiku by Chiyo-Ni (our haiku master of this month), later on today around 10.00 PM (CET). By the way: This time I haven't written an own new haiku, I hadn't enough inspiration. And I am a bit behind with commenting on all of your lovely post ... I haven't had the time ... sorry ... forgive me ...

So have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here on Carpe Diem. I will give hereafter the Special haiku by Chiyo-Ni for February 22th:

koborete wa tada no mizunari beni no tsuyuthe dew of the rouge flowerwhen it is spilledis simply water

I hope that this haiku by Chiyo-Ni, which is our Carpe Diem Special #23 for February 22th, will inspire you.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Today not a big post to share, because of lack of time. I only give you all the new prompt on which we share haiku today. Today we have 'wisdom' for prompt and I am looking forward to your haiku for today.

wise man sharetheir knowledge with the world -hoping to get a prize

Have fun, be creative and share your haiku with Carpe Diem.

This prompt will stay on 'till February 20th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode, 'Hope', later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Today we share haiku on 'Iceberg' (provided by Yer Pirate of Tea with a Pirate's Haiku Moments) a wonderful prompt I think with a lot of posiibilities. When I am preparing this episode of Carpe Diem I thought about that one Iceberg that's so well known all over the world. The one which caused the sinking of the Titanic.

RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK to New York City, US. The sinking of Titanic caused the deaths of 1,502 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in modern history. The RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time of her maiden voyage. She was the second of three Olympic class ocean liners operated by the White Star Line, and she was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast with Thomas Andrews, who perished with the ship, as her naval architect. On her maiden voyage, she carried 2,224 passengers and crew.

Under the command of Edward Smith, her passengers included some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland, Scandinavia and elsewhere throughout Europe seeking a new life in North America. The ship was designed to be the last word in comfort and luxury, with an on-board gymnasium, swimming pool, libraries, high-class restaurants and opulent cabins. She also had a powerful wireless telegraph provided for the convenience of passengers as well as for operational use. Though she had advanced safety features such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, she lacked enough lifeboats to accommodate all of those aboard. Because of outdated maritime safety regulations, she carried only enough lifeboats for 1,178 people—slightly more than half of the number traveling on the maiden voyage, and one-third her total passenger and crew capacity.

After leaving Southampton on 10 April 1912, Titanic called at Cherbourg in France and Queenstown (now Cobh) in Ireland before heading westwards towards New York.[2] On 14 April 1912, four days into the crossing and about 375 miles (600 km) south of Newfoundland, she hit an iceberg at 11:40 pm ship's time. The glancing collision caused Titanic's hull plates to buckle inwards along her starboard side and opened five of her sixteen watertight compartments to the sea; the ship gradually filled with water. Meanwhile, passengers and some crew members were evacuated in lifeboats, many of which were launched only partly loaded. A disproportionate number of men were left aboard because of a "women and children first" protocol followed by the officers loading the lifeboats. By 2:20 AM, she broke apart and foundered, with well over one thousand people still aboard. Just under two hours after the Titanic foundered, the Cunard liner RMS Carpathia arrived on the scene of the sinking, where she brought aboard an estimated 705 survivors.

Maybe you have seen the movie (with Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet) a romantic epic on the sinking of the Titanic. I have seen it several times and every time I enjoyed watching it, not because the sinking, but for the wonderful people who played in it.

Romance was in the air and was starting ... before it could be something ... Titanic sank.

feeling free as a birdon the head of Titanicno iceberg in sightno iceberg in sightTitanic on her maiden tripfinally sankfinally sankin collision with an icebergfeeling free again

This series of haiku was inspired on the romance in this motion picture. A seventeen-year-old aristocrat, expecting to be married to a rich claimant by her mother, falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.

Have fun, be creative and share your haiku on Iceberg with Carpe Diem.

This prompt will stay on 'till February 19th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode, 'wisdom', later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,Another day to be inspired and share haiku with Carpe Diem. Today our prompt is 'Bell' (provided by Dulcina of Dulcina's Garden). At the start of Carpe Diem I had already used 'Wedding Bells', so first I thought 'Bell' isn't a good prompt, but after a while ... I think 'Bell' is a wonderful prompt to share haiku on. So today we share haiku on 'Bell'. I have found a wonderful haiku written by Buson, one of the four greatest haiku masters, and I love to share that with you:tsuriganeni tomarite nemuru kochoukana
On a temple bell
Alights and naps
A butterflyI like the fragility of the butterfly napping on the big temple bell.

Wow isn't it a beauty this temple bell? A great source of inspiration I think, but what do you think of Mr. Bell, the man of the telephone? Could also be a source of inspiration, but that's up to you.I have chosen for the temple bell as source for my inspiration.from far awaythe sound of the temple bellechoing through the mistechoing through the mistthe strong sound of a temple bell -scared butterflyscared butterflyflies in from far awaytemple bell - dreamsHave fun with this prompt and share your haiku with us ...By the way: I am a bit behind with commenting, but I will try to catch up ... forgive me if I haven't commented on your post.This prompt will stay on 'till February 18th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post, 'Iceberg' (provided by YerPirate) later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).

Friday, February 15, 2013

Today another wonderful haiku written by Chiyo-Ni, our female haiku master of this month. As we already know, Chiyo-Ni wrote a lot of haiku about Morning Glories, so I couldn't let this month pass without her most famous haiku on this nice, short living, flower.

A wonderful woodblock which I found on Ebay.com. It shows a Baby Blue Jay and Blue Morning Glories and was made by Imao Keinen around 1930. It's a nice illustration for accompanying the haiku written by Chiyo-Ni which will follow here after.

asano eikou yoku baketto entanguru watashiha mizuwo motomeru

morning glory!the well bucket-entangled,I ask for water

This haiku is the most quoted haiku written by Chiyo-Ni, and it's one of her best haiku. Isn't it wonderful? Chiyo awakens early in the morning. As she arrives at the well she sees that the bucket is entangled with Morning Glories ... so she decides to ask her neighbor for water, because she will not disturb the Morning Glories in their beauty. Isn't it awesome? That's a real haiku poet, living with nature and caressing nature.

Chiyo-Ni our female haiku master was really a master and now I have to write another haiku inspired on the one by her. Is that possible ... it's a challenge which I will take upon me humbly in honor of Chiyo-Ni. I wrote the next haiku.

in the well bucketMorning Glories float about my smile -I feel like Chiyo-Ni

I feel like Chiyo-Nithe wooden fence overgrownwith Morning Glories

Morning Glorieshave overgrown the wooden fenceI take the back one

Another one, a last one:

one single Morning Gloryalong the path of the cloisterfor just one day

What a delightful flower to write haiku about. I can sense Chiyo-Ni in this short series on Morning Glories ... it's really awesome.
Have fun, be inspired and creative ... Share your haiku, inspired by the one of Chiyo-Ni, with us here on Carpe Diem.

This Special will stay on 'till February 17th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode, Bell (provided by Dulcina of Dulcina's Garden), later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,Today our last day about the seven sins. Today we share haiku on 'jealousy'.

Jealousy is an emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, particularly in reference to a human connection. Jealousy often consists of a combination of presenting emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness and disgust. In the original broad meaning used in this article, jealousy is distinct from envy, though the two terms have popularly become synonymous in the English language, with both now taking on the narrower definition originally used for envy alone.

Caught with a letter of another one

Jealousy is a familiar experience in human relationships. It has been observed in infants five months and older. Some claim that jealousy is seen in every culture; however, others claim jealousy is a culture-specific phenomenon.

Jealousy is often reinforced as a series of particularly strong emotions and constructed as a universal human experience; it has been a theme of many artistic works. Psychologists have proposed several models of the processes underlying jealousy and have identified factors that result in jealousy. Sociologists have demonstrated that cultural beliefs and values play an important role in determining what triggers jealousy and what constitutes socially acceptable expressions of jealousy. Biologists have identified factors that may unconsciously influence the expression of jealousy. Artists have explored the theme of jealousy in photographs, paintings, movies, songs, plays, poems, and books. Theologians have offered religious views of jealousy based on the scriptures of their respective faiths.

Jealousy and flirtation - Oil Painting by Haynes King

There are many different types of jealousy that the human body can experience. Jealousy can be seen in everyday activities and settings. Jealousy is an intense emotion that is associated with the loss of services or outcomes associated with other individuals. This intense emotion can be seen or experienced in family situations, at work, in romantic relationships and even between friends.looking in envyat the youngsters flirtingan old manan old manjealous on youngsters dancinghis staff brokenWell ... not such strong haiku, but I loved writing them. Have fun, be creative and share your haiku with us here on Carpe Diem.This prompt will stay on 'till February 16th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new Carpe Diem Special of Chiyo- Ni ... another nice haiku written by her. (I am preparing this episode at work, so I don't have my list of haiku by Chiyo-Ni with me. You have to wait till the next day .... sorry)

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,What a joy to read your posts on 'Vanity', you have all composed wonderful haiku. Sometimes with a clear kind of vanity in it and sometimes not so clear, but they all were great.I am glad to see new contributors to our daily haiku meme and I love to welcome them to Carpe Diem. I hope Carpe Diem will grow further and will even be a greater success than I could have dreamed of.Today we share haiku on 'Greed', another one of the seven sins.

Greed

Greed is
the inordinate desire to possess wealth, goods, or objects of abstract value
with the intention to keep it for one's self, far beyond the dictates of basic
survival and comfort. It is applied to a markedly high desire for and pursuit
of wealth, status, and power.
As a secular psychological concept, greed is, similarly, an inordinate desire
to acquire or possess more than one needs. It is typically used to criticize
those who seek excessive material wealth, although it may apply to the need to
feel more excessively moral, social, or otherwise better than someone else.
Thomas Aquinas wrote "Greed is a sin against God, just as all mortal sins,
in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal
things.". In Dante's Purgatory, the avaricious penitents were bound and
laid face down on the ground for having concentrated too much on earthly
thoughts.
From Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary, greed means "greedy for base
gains." Gain itself is not a sin, but the gain of base things. Also,
"given to greed" means literally, "given to filth." Thus, a
moral concern, not a subjective economic one for which there is no equal. A
very wealthy man, for example, may be considered "greedy" in error,
if such wealth was planned for some great achievement or building project.
Ivan Boesky famously defended greed in a May 18, 1986, commencement address at
the UC Berkeley's School of Business Administration, in which he said,
"Greed is all right, by the way. I want you to know that. I think greed is
healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself". This speech
inspired the 1987 film Wall Street, which features the famous line "greed,
for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed
clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.
Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has
marked the upward surge of mankind."

The Worship of Mammon - painting by: Evelyn de Morgan

“No one can
serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he
will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and
Mammon”. (Matthew 6:24)

What a sin ... Greed ... how to write haiku about greed? This will not be easy, but I have to try ... of course.

looking for morehunting for gold and diamonds -haiku community

(Don't take this personal (smiles), but if I read all of your wonderful post ... I love to read more. Just a kind of greed I think.)

first cherry blossomevery day I look up with greed -another cherry blossom

Well ... I have succeeded I think. I love it when a haiku flows from my pencil. Every haiku makes me greedy for more haiku ... is that a sin? Am I sinner?

This prompt will stay on 'till February 15th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode on one of the seven sins, Jealousy, later on today around 10.00 PM (CET). Have fun, be inspired and creative ... and you may be greedy for more haiku writing and reading ... (smiles).

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,Awesome isn't it? This daily haiku meme looks like to become a hit and I am pleased with that. I have read wonderful haiku on 'Stork' and 'Windmill' and today I love to start a few days on the seven sins starting with Vanity (Vainglory) and the next two days we will have 'Greed' and 'Jealousy'. I hope to read wonderful haiku on these sins.

﻿

Vanity needs a mirror

﻿ In conventional parlance, vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others (Stephen LaMarche). Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant futility. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic synonym for vanity, but originally meant boasting in vain, i.e. unjustified boasting; although glory is now seen as having an exclusively positive meaning, the Latin term gloria (from which it derives) roughly means boasting, and was often used as a negative criticism.In many religions vanity, in its modern sense, is considered a form of self-idolatry, in which one rejects God for the sake of one's own image, and thereby becomes divorced from the graces of God. The stories of Lucifer, Narcissus (who gave us the term narcissism) and others attend to a pernicious aspect of vanity. Philosophically speaking, vanity may refer to a broader sense of egoism and pride. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that "vanity is the fear of appearing original: it is thus a lack of pride, but not necessarily a lack of originality."One of Mason Cooley's aphorisms is "Vanity well fed is benevolent. Vanity hungry is spiteful."In Christian teachings vanity is considered an example of pride, one of the seven deadly sins. This list evolved from an earlier list of eight sins, which included vainglory as a sin independent of pride.In Orthodox church, vanity is one of eight sinful and diabolical passions, the fight against which is a major task of every Orthodox Christian.

Google+ Followers

try it our QR-code

NOW AVAILABLE

Carpe Diem's Winter Retreat 2018

Now Available For Download

CARPE DIEM HAIKU KAI FORUM

conversation ? questions? visit our forum.

CARPE DIEM ON FACEBOOK

My Visitors

Tribute To Jane Reichhold, a new CDHK Tumblr

Feel free to visit

IMPROMPTU VERSE

Sometimes a haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form comes in mind just in one eye-blink. Those poems I call Impromptu-verses. Here I will publish these Impromptu-verses. Today's Impromptu verse: (10)

VISIT ALSO

I am a member of

VISIT MY HOME WEBLOG

CARPE DIEM ON

PINTEREST

WORDPRESS WEBLOG

Chèvrefeuille's Haiku

NOW ONLINE

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Academy

CARPE DIEM HAIKU KAI SPECIAL

special features

Publishing Policy

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Carpe Diem is the place to be if you like to write and share haiku (or another Japanese poetry form like e.g. tanka). It's a family of haiku loving poets.Japanese poetry is known as the impression of a short moment, say a heartbeat or an eye-blink, in which nature plays an important role.It's free to participate in Carpe Diem. By participating in Carpe Diem, you agree with the use of your work in the exclusive e-book series of Carpe Diem.Of course your work will be credited as Carpe Diem always does. However all the texts and works at Carpe Diem are copyrighted and the rights belong to the authors.

March 20th 2016

Chèvrefeuille, your host

PS. Of course it is possible that you don't want to have your work published in our exclusive series of CDHK e-books. Please let me know that by sending an e-mail to our e-mail address carpediemhaikukai@gmail.com